Denis Dyack is batshit insane

[Howard Alan Treesong]

This Denis Dyack post has to be read to be believed:

One of the reasons Too Human was created to comment on the effect of technology on society with the hope of providing some insight into what it’s effects are. Society in general does not understand technology or its impacts. I will take this post and others on the thread from Chern to help point out lack of understanding of technology and hopefully we all can learn something and move on.

Most people believe that technology improves communication. The belief is founded from the notion that technologies like text messaging, forums, telephone, voip, video conferencing etc… are all great things for improving communication because they allow us to communicate in ways that were not possible before. This belief is fundamentally flawed. Each of these technologies does allow communication in ways never possible before – this is true, however, they also substantially reduce reciprocity.

The concept if reciprocity is a complex one but when focusing on communication I would sum it up as the ability for people to communicate in a reciprocal and equal ways. So when you speak to someone face to you have a high level of reciprocity as you can see facial expression, vocal tone, body posture, volume level all of which help improve levels of reciprocity for better communication. This level of reciprocity has been the foundation for human society for most of its existence. The ultimate form of reciprocity would be the ability to read some mind and feel their thoughts although of course this is not possible.

Now if you look at these new types of technological communication what people generally do not understand that reciprocity for these forms of communication as severely reduced and this reduction is challenging our ability to communicate effectively or reasonably. I can’t tell if someone is yelling in a forum, if they are happy or sarcastic, I can only guess because the limited bandwidth of forums has lost so much of its reciprocity. In fact, I don’t even know who these posters really are because they post under pseudo-names or tags. Studies have shown that this lack of reciprocity generally result in increased negativity, frustration and angry and failed communication. In fact, the US military stopped using text messaging as a forum of communication because it resulted in significant amounts of insubordination.

In this thread, people of said many things to me (and SK) that are not based on anything factual or substantive. These are things that they would unlikely ever say to anyone face to face. As example, someone here is upset because 2 player offline co-op was removed from the game. It was never planned announced or discussed in the history of the project. So how it was removed is pretty baffling.

Chern asked if we were going to reduce the price of the game because of the removal promised features. I presume he is talking about the move from 4 player co-op to 2 player co-op as I can think of nothing else. My response would be to ask the question of would he be willing to pay more if we could show that it actually improve the game? This type of banter really is all meaningless because features do not define a game but its ability to entertain is where its true value can be determined.

What really is stunning is that many people in forums (not only this) judge games from video and screen shots. People are making judgment calls from these are linear media examples without actually playing the game. Is it not true that the only way to understand a game (medium that is based on interactivity) to play it? Is it not obvious how ridiculous it is to make judgments about games before you play them? I see this behavior as yet another side effect of the reduced reciprocity that has come with our technology advances. Society needs to catch up and understand what has changed with communication.

Once over a year ago, on another forum, I got into a flame war with someone like Chern and I ended up embarrassing him in front of the entire community. I decided to never do that again as the severity and impact was something more than I ever intended. Instead, I will end with putting some of these people like Chern to the task of getting back to me and others on this board once they have actually played the game instead of making statements out of ignorance. You see, I have a great advantage as I have played the game a lot. I am looking forward to speaking to everyone here in August once you have played. I think we will see a lot of tunes changed.

Denis

In summary:

1) Society doesn't understand the far-reaching effects of technology. Fortunately, Too Human is here to explain it to them.
2) These misunderstood techological advances are responsible for the unwarranted hate directed towards Silicon Knights' games.
3) Silicon Knights feels they should be allowed to charge extra for offline co-op.
4) Denis Dyack's troll-fu is so powerful that he has sworn never to engage in negative forum posting again, lest he destroy us all.
5) blah blah Shakespeare blah Aristotle blah blah

[Mupepe]

oh my god.  that makes me want to skip too human more than any game media i've seen about it so far

[demi]

Will be buying it, Patel found playing russian roulette in the corner

[Mupepe]

he even types like a condescending taco!

is it not true I have sucked many a dick?  Is it not true that my game looks like a total failure?

[Howard Alan Treesong]

how can you judge the graphics of a game simply by looking at it! is it not true that you must first play a game before you may know what it looks like?

[MCD]

high quality video is enough for me to judge the graphics.

[cool breeze]

Dyack lives in his own world.  Listen to the old EGM Live where he responds to EGM saying Too Human was terrible at E3.  He is having a mental breakdown as it is going on.  He is on the verge of tears saying that they were personally attacking him and other things when all they did was say the game had a shitty early showing.  It was hilarious.

As example, someone here is upset because 2 player offline co-op was removed from the game. It was never planned announced or discussed in the history of the project. So how it was removed is pretty baffling.

What the hell? He himself went on gaf saying that it would have 4 player co-op.  The excuse for why it was gone was because "4 player co-op was too hectic", so clearly it was planned an discussed.

[Crushed]

Look, Mr. Dyack.

I loved Eternal Darkness. As an MGS fan, I defended Twin Snakes from my more rabid Kojima-loving everyone-else-hating comrades. I was ready to defend Too Human, even if it was transformed from "Syphon Filter meets Deus Ex" into "Loki May Cry."


But that's just going a bit too far.

[Third]

The game is so bad it damaged his brain.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

As example, someone here is upset because 2 player offline co-op was removed from the game. It was never planned announced or discussed in the history of the project. So how it was removed is pretty baffling.

What the hell? He himself went on gaf saying that it would have 4 player co-op.  The excuse for why it was gone was because "4 player co-op was too hectic", so clearly it was planned an discussed.

Sounds like Dyack has jumped on the Straight Talk Express.

Dennis Dyack? Or Dennis LIE-ack?

[recursivelyenumerable]

My former development manager --- who fired me; after he left they offered to hire me back at 50% higher pay; he also basically forced out a friend of mine who was eventually hired back at 3X the pay; the entire remainder of the development staff also quit within a couple months of our leaving; their flagship product is a year late and nowhere near release --- had a similar form of dysgraphia.  Just saying.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

was his dysgraphia caused by the incomprehensible perils of text-based communication

[ToxicAdam]

I think he is saying he wants more emoticons. Someone give him a link to OA.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

oh yeah lest we forget:

I am most often asked if we have sequels in mind for Eternal Darkness. The answer is absolutely yes. Although this may not be obvious to those outside of Silicon Knights, anyone inside the guild understands that there is really no other answer. When creating an original game we start by conceptualizing an entire universe. Once the universe is conceptualized we then tell a story within that world.

once more, with the crazy bolded:

I am most often asked if we have sequels in mind for Eternal Darkness. The answer is absolutely yes. Although this may not be obvious to those outside of Silicon Knights, anyone inside the guild understands that there is really no other answer. When creating an original game we start by conceptualizing an entire universe. Once the universe is conceptualized we then tell a story within that world.

GUILD

[demi]

Why the hidden links? Where was this posted? PM if you cant post it public

[MCD]

ign insider thread i take it?

[Howard Alan Treesong]

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=11631276&postcount=197

Denis links to:

http://boards.ign.com/xbox_360_general_board/b8266/165311984/p3/

IGN Insider content reposted at:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=11632739&postcount=248

[Crushed]

The guild thing is annoying and stupid yes, but conceptualizing an in-game "universe" that further games could develop upon isn't crazy.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

sure, but he says that's where they "start"

maybe they should start with conceptualizing a fun game

[disgruntled_jojo]

Wait a minute. This guy is talking about technology killing communication?!  Well then he's clearly partaken of far too much technology in his time.  His written grammar is ESL levels, at best. I stopped halfway through, and these were just the most egregious errors:

One of the reasons Too Human was created to comment on ...

I think you mean 'was created was to' here.  Otherwise, this makes no sense.

The belief is founded from the notion...

Beliefs are founded on notions, not from them.

So when you speak to someone face to you have a high level of reciprocity as you can see facial expression, vocal tone, body posture, volume level...

'When you speak to someone face'?  Holy christ.  'When you kick to someone groin' is next, I suppose?  And since when can you see 'vocal tone' or 'volume level'.  Is he playing a game with on-screen indicators of these things in his mind? Parallelism FAIL.

The ultimate form of reciprocity would be the ability to read some mind and feel their thoughts although of course this is not possible.

The ability to read some mind could be useful I guess.  And also to feel the thoughts of reciprocity, which you have decided to anthropomorphize by writing 'some' instead of 'someone's'.  Although of course this is not possible.

Jesus.  This is a fucking train wreck.  SPELL AND GRAMMAR CHECK COME WITH MICROSOFT WORD.  USE THEM IF YOU WANT TO HAVE A CHANCE TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY.

Ugh.

[disgruntled_jojo]

edit: double post, cut

[APF]

OMG he's discovered the fact that people on the internet act like dicks!!! 

Sometimes it's good to be abstracted from the normal social constraints of face-to-face communication, with little real-world consequences for saying what's on your mind, good or bad--much like, sometimes it's good to be removed from the constraints of physical confrontation to engage in competitive activities over the net, ie multiplayer gaming.  Plus, doesn't Dyack produce products that use a technology that can convey audio/vocal-tonal, facial and gestural communication ie video?


Anyway, if the only way to judge a game is to play it, in lieu of marketing either make it free / timed, or release a demo.  Don't release screenshots / video, and invite journalists to play, if you're going to whine about the results.

[recursivelyenumerable]

tbh I don't mind Dyack's pretentiousness at all, and some of his ideas are similar to mine (in before "well that says something about you doesn't it").  unfortunately (or fortunately, since it means there's still an opening for me to someday start a studio where bigthink is fused with literary refinement ) their expression is saddled with his total lack of taste.

[WrikaWrek]

Well, maybe when some of you actually study the kind of shit he's talking about, much in the same way Mcluhan theorized, you would understand that he's not as stupid as you make him to be.

And obviously, the batshit insane comments come from posters, like the one who asks about a price redution of the game because of the removal of these so called promised features, as if SK owed anything to these motherfuckers that as far as i know, haven't bought the game, because the game isn't out.

Denis Dyack problem is that he communicates with internet distinguished mentally-challenged fellows, he should do it like Kojima, not reply to the distinguished mentally-challenged fellows on internet forums, and let the fans make up pie in the sky theories to why he's so great.

[CHOW CHOW]

Will be buying it, Patel found playing russian roulette in the corner

you rilly gettin it? i thin i am too... didn't know you liked diablo type games.  It's gonna be fun finding all the loot

[Van Cruncheon]

grammar analysis proves it: denis dyack is mondain!

[demi]

Will be buying it, Patel found playing russian roulette in the corner

you rilly gettin it? i thin i am too... didn't know you liked diablo type games.  It's gonna be fun finding all the loot

Yeah, it will be awesome cause all the haters will go ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH and probably blow their heads off and it will be funny

[Van Cruncheon]

tbh I don't mind Dyack's pretentiousness at all, and some of his ideas are similar to mine (in before "well that says something about you doesn't it").  unfortunately (or fortunately, since it means there's still an opening for me to someday start a studio where bigthink is fused with literary refinement ) their expression is saddled with his total lack of taste.

can i help you

[duckman2000]

Someone should invite Denis here. He posts on IGN and NeoGAF, so I can't believe that this forum is somehow beneath him. Besides, he should welcome the idea of pissing off NeoGAF management and mods by posting here.

[MrAngryFace]

(Image removed from quote.)

[ferrarimanf355]

And Dyack being a six-pack of Coors Light short of a picnic is a revelation how?

[AdmiralViscen]

Someone should invite Denis here. He posts on IGN and NeoGAF, so I can't believe that this forum is somehow beneath him. Besides, he should welcome the idea of pissing off NeoGAF management and mods by posting here.

Someone PM him

[WrikaWrek]

(Image removed from quote.)

I've seen that twice now. Is that even real? Or is that photoshopped?

Please be the later. PLLLEEEEAAASEEEE

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

He needs to be invited here.  So that way my jokes about him stuffing snack cakes down his gullet won't get lost in the shuffle of pro-Dyack fellatio on GAF.

[WrikaWrek]

He needs to be invited here.  So that way my jokes about him stuffing snack cakes down his gullet won't get lost in the shuffle of pro-Dyack fellatio on GAF.

Pro-Dyack? What? lolol

That place is always shitting on the guy.

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

He needs to be invited here.  So that way my jokes about him stuffing snack cakes down his gullet won't get lost in the shuffle of pro-Dyack fellatio on GAF.

Pro-Dyack? What? lolol

That place is always shitting on the guy.

One positive comment about Dyack is one positive comment too many.

[demi]

I would die if Dyack registered here... make it so, everyone with an account flank him

[Eel O'Brian]

Imma buy it now

yall can all lick around the edge of my purple majesty

[MyNameIsMethodis]

Eternal Darkness was the only good thing this hack ever did.

[Himu]

(Image removed from quote.)

I've seen that twice now. Is that even real? Or is that photoshopped?

Please be the later. PLLLEEEEAAASEEEE

It's real. It was on the MGSaga vol 1 dvd and Kojima said that in regards to his original plans for The Boss.

[WrikaWrek]

(Image removed from quote.)

I've seen that twice now. Is that even real? Or is that photoshopped?

Please be the later. PLLLEEEEAAASEEEE

It's real. It was on the MGSaga vol 1 dvd and Kojima said that in regards to his original plans for The Boss.

My god.

[Beezy]

Kojima

[Jansen]

Eternal Darkness was the only good thing this hack ever did.

[cool breeze]

Eternal Darkness was the only good thing this hack ever did.

He worked on Blood Omen.  At least, I think he did.

[WrikaWrek]

SK original titles are actually high quality.

TTS is only considered a subpar game because it's a remake of one of the best games ever. SK is a talented studio.

[CHOW CHOW]

It seems the co-op issue will haunt this game forever, unless it reviews extremely well.  A damn shame because 2-player co-op is nice and still a luxury in this gen, especially in an RPG.  Is there even any RPG-themed games except for Phantasy Star Universe that have online 2-player co-op on 360/PS3? Fable 2 is the only one that comes to mind and that's releasing in December.  Despite this fact, Too Human is getting ripped apart.

[demi]

Sacred 2 is supposed to have co-op

[AdmiralViscen]

Fable 2 has multi!?

[cool breeze]

Fable 2 has multi!?

Online drop in co-op! It will be super.

They even let you dick around and kill the other person's family if you want to!

[AdmiralViscen]

Buying it confirmed

[Bildi]

Denis IS batshit insane so I have no desire to read his rant, but I'm looking forward to his game!

[Positive Touch]

why must guano be equated to insanity

[Sho Nuff]

Somehow it doesn't surprise me that this dude is buds with Kojima

[Draft]

The best part is that the whole rambing reply is to a question as simple and distinguished mentally-challenged as "are we gonna pay less now that there's only 2 player coop adur."

Denis Dyack is a goddamn buffoon but I'm glad he's making games. The industry needs eccentrics.

[Eel O'Brian]

GAF is populated by meme-tossing shitheads who blindly slap away at their keyboards like epileptic chimps, what do you expect

[Draft]

I might not agree with the things he says, or even enjoy his games --- I don't know, I haven't tried --- but I think it's disgusting that such a huge anti-Dyack sentiment has been fostered willfully on GAF, while people with similar ideas, like Kojima, are put on pedestals. Dyack is not in his position by sheer luck. He must possess some skill to have stayed in the industry for 16 years+.

I think MGS is pretty blown up by japafags that aren't very concerned with good gameplay as long as a title satisfies their weeaboo glands, BUT, that being said, the MGS series just obliterates Silicon Knight's portfolio. SK has one really, really good game, and that's Eternal Darkness, and even that game is not so incredibly great. Blood Omen was a decent Zelda clone that coasts by for having a dick of a main character before it was OK for main character's to be dicks, TS was a mess, and it wasn't even really their mess.

So Kojima might also be a weird fuck with all sorts of distinguished mentally-challenged ideas about the true nature of x being explored in the interactive world, but:

1. He doesn't jump on the internet like a crazy man to argue with people about them.
2. He's got a pretty impressive resume, so even if he DID, I'd be likely to give a listen.

Anti-Dyack sentiment is very much a product of how Denis Dyack acts. 

[Mupepe]

Blood Omen is awesome enough that I'd suck his dick hard.  I still think he's a pretty big hack and a tard. 

[Draft]

Go back and play Blood Omen again.

I bet you don't last an hour. The loading will get you.

I beat Blood Omen. I'm glad I did, because it was a pretty cool game, and at the time, when I was like, 15 or whatever, the idea that my character was this irredeemable bastard was so exciting and fresh. But seriously, it doesn't hold up. I know most games don't but BO is exceptional in it's technical assery and fuckwit game mechanics.

The last half of the game is filled with annoying armored enemies that walk right through your sword strikes, so you had to use the tonfas or clubs or whatever, cause they would stun them and knock them back. But they didn't draw blood, so you'd tonfa a dude, hit start (wait 10 seconds) equip a sword or an axe, hit start (wait 10 more seconds), slice up the man you just stunned, drink his blood, and then do it 20 more times.

[siamesedreamer]

I thought Fable 2's co-op was confirmed to be only local/split-screen?

[WrikaWrek]

I thought Fable 2's co-op was confirmed to be only local/split-screen?

Quite the opposite so far.